California Bill Aims to Make Ignition Interlock Devices Mandatory

Convicted drunken drivers in California may soon have to blow into an ignition interlock device before hitting the road, if a proposed bill is made law.

On Tuesday, the California Senate Public Safety Committee voted 7-0 in favor of SB 1046 by Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo). The bill aims to make ignition interlocks a requirement statewide— not just in Alameda, Los Angeles, Tulare and Sacramento counties, as it now stands in a pilot program.

Such devices work by testing the breath of a driver and can prevent a car from starting if the driver has been drinking, according to the office of Senator Hill.

“Today, the Senate Public Safety Committee voted to protect all Californians from the completely preventable, violent crime of drunk driving,” said Mary Klotzbach, a MADD National Board member and Livermore resident whose 22-year-old son, Matt, was killed by a drunk driver, following Tuesday's senate action. “When I buried Matt, I buried a piece of my heart. Now I want make sure no other parent, child, brother, or sister ever has to endure this kind of heartache.”

The CDC reports that the use of ignition interlock devices help prevent drivers previously arrested for DUI from being re-arrested.

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